New body will balance deregulation and risk

The government has replaced the Better Regulation Commission – set up to oversee deregulation in a range of areas including health and safety – with a new body that willl have “a fuller and more rounded consideration of public risk”.

The establishment of the Risk and Regulation Advisory Council (RRAC) was welcomed by TUC general secretary Brendan Barber. “Effective regulation is the hallmark of any civilised society that protects the weak and vulnerable against the strong and powerful, but it’s also important to get the right balance between risk, regulation and liberty,” he said.

The Health and Safety Commission (HSC) was similarly positive. “In recent years, ‘Elf and Safety’ has become a universal excuse for banning many low-risk activities, often in situations where there is actually no regulatory requirement at all,” said HSC chair Judith Hackitt. “We have long promoted a common-sense approach to risk, and look forward to working with the RRAC to identify new ways to take this principle further.”